Yemen

Yemen /ˈjɛmən/ (Arabic: اليَمَن‎ al-Yaman), officially known as the Republic of Yemen (Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية‎ al-Jumhūriyyah al-Yamaniyyah), is an Arab country in Western Asia, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. Yemen is the second largest country in the peninsula, occupying 527,970 km2 (203,850 sq mi). The coastline stretches for about 2,000 km (1,200 mi). It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea to the south, and Oman to the east. Its capital and largest city is Sana'a. Yemen's territory includes more than 200 islands. The largest of these is Socotra, which is about 354 km (220 mi) to the south of mainland Yemen. Geographically, Yemen stretches from the desert sands of the Rub' al Khali to mountain peaks 3,660 meters above sea levels, and drops back down to the coast of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The nation is separated from the Horn of Africa by the strait of Bab-el-Mandeb.